sumber: Al-Jazeera English

ISLAMIC RELIEF MALAYSIA

(ISLAMIC RELIEF INTERNATIONAL)

(MUSLIM AID)

It’s no ordinary catastrophe. The destruction is downright ghastly. Myanmar was hit by the Nargis Cyclone on May 2, 2008. It’s the worst disaster to have hit the Asian continent since the tragedy of Tsunami on December 26, 2004.

As reported by Al-Jazeera, the death toll in Myanmar may well reach 100 thousand, not very far from the official figure of 160 thousand in Acheh.

Frankly, I almost paralysed with the news. Speechless, nothing else to say except returning everything back to Him, saying Innaa LiLlaah wa Innaa Ilayhi Raaji’oon.

WHO CARES?

But what shocked me more is how our community is giving the cold shoulder to this disaster. I wouldn’t be surprised if many are even unaware of this one piece of news.

Maybe they’ll take notice when their rice pot is empty, because at a time when the world is facing a critical food shortage crisis, the Nargis Cyclone has destroyed the Delta of Irrawady which supplied almost half of the world’s rice supply! Only when the disaster affects us directly, will we realize that the world is sick.

THE POLITICAL GAMES

As I feel saddened looking at the images of sprawled bodies, victims of the disaster, I feel even more angered when the hardship of the Burmese is further exacerbated by the political stance of many parties. As Myanmar has been living under hardships since 1978 under the rule of the Junta, they keep playing games with the outsiders who can’t wait to help.

The Unites States on the other hand continues to display their ugly tradition through Condoleezza Rice who announced that they are ready to help if the Junta Myanmar would allow the American army to enter Myanmar with aids and supplies!

This is the example in today’s world, of the term ‘damned politics’ which were written by Badi’uzzaman Said al-Nursi, “I seek refuge with Allah from the cursed Syaitan, and from siyasah (politics)!”

What is the fate of my brothers in Islam, the Rohingyans who have lived in misery all these while in the state of Arakan, how do they fare?

MY FRIEND BOBO

Bobo, sitting on the extreme left

I don’t know any Burmese except for one. Bobo Iwin is one of the facilitators who worked alongside me during the Inter-Civilizational Youth Engagement Program (IYEP) last year in 2007. He is true and unaffected, almost devoid of mistrust and doubt.

Bobo is an activist who is a person of passion, travels a lot between Thailand and Myanmar, and introduces me many things related to Myanmar’s internal issues. He is true and unaffected, devoid of mistrust and doubt, with only positive and optimistic thoughts on the future of his country Myanmar.

I last spoke with Bobo end of last year.

“How’s Myanmar with the Buddhist monks demonstrating now?” I had asked.

“It’s very chaotic. Confusing. Let’s hope for the best,” Bobo answered.

Bobo joined many Buddhist NGOs which promotes Interfaith programmes, getting Buddhist teenagers to join dialogues and learn about other religions.

“Did you feel insulted with the statement of Malaysia’s Minister of Information who accused Al-Jazeera of portraying that Malaysia is violent and chaotic like Myanmar?” I ask again. Malaysia was abuzz with the BERSIH event at that time.

“Myanmar is in chaos. But coming from a minister, his statement has got to be better than that,“ answered Bobo. Calm… as usual.

Our talk didn’t last long as the internet line in Myanmar at that time was not too good.

I pray to Allah that the Myanmar people, as well as the brothers of Rohingya there, will be saved by Allah from this difficult test. And to Bobo, wherever you are, may you be safe and sound, till we meet again. Let’s do what we can to help the Burmese.

ALLAH FORBIDS INJUSTICE

But remember… be it kuffar being unjust against kuffar, or kuffar against muslim, of muslim being unjust against kuffar, or muslim against muslim… Allah swt forbids injustice amongst mankind. It is mentioned in one long hadith qudsi..

Narrated by Abu Dzar al-Ghifari radhiyaLlaahu ‘anhu, “Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said The Almighty has said, ‘O, My servants! I have forbidden oppression and injustice for Myself, and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another’.” (authenticated by Imām Muslim)

Yet they all refuse to back down from the crime of oppression that has shackled mankind, up to a point that Allah Himself may ‘make the changes’. Those who change only because they have to, are victims. Successful people, are those who convinced themselves to change.

Think about it!

LATEST UPDATE

Suddenly, after 6 months I didn’t see the Bobo’s Google Talk green button, he appeared online just now.

Alhamdulillah.

Bobo just arrived in Bangkok. He told me that he was at the office when the cyclone hit Myanmar. The roof of his office was blown away by the strong wind, but Bobo manged to escape the danger of the fierce Nargis force that day.

The plane scheduled to fly him to Bangkok on May 4th had been cancelled. But he later flew to the capital of Thailand as part of his efforts to mobilize humanitarian aids mission to help his fellow Burmese who were suffering as a result of the Nargis cyclone.

“How is your family?” I asked.

“They were in a different district. They’re safe,” Bobo answered.

“Alhamdulillah.. that’s how we say thanks to God!”

“Thank you. I was originally planning to mobilize the members of the Buddhist Youths for an Interfaith program, “ Bobo said.

“Yes, I can still remember when we last talked. You did mention it,” I tried to recall our last conversation.

“But because of what happened, I will focus all efforts to manage incoming humanitarian aids because that’s the priority for now,” Bobo informed me.

“Do give me any information that I can use for this campaign because I’m trying to raise awareness through my blog to help the Burmese. I think the big challenge here is that people may not be too concerned with this crisis because some may feel it’s not their business because the victims are of different beliefs,” I continued.

“That’s very kind of you!” Bobo responded.

“ And yet the message that we need to get across to everyone is that, we should care and help one another on the ground of humanity, that should have been enough. Humanity. Islam itself is a mercy upon the entire universe, that’s what the Prophet had reminded us,” I concluded the subject that I had brought up.

“Yes, that’s what we call global ethics the other day!” said Bobo, referring to the IYEP program last year.

“Yep.. so let us walk our talk!” I ended the conversation.

Crisis upon crisis are faced by mankind all around the globe, but just as Allah gives provision to each of the 1000 merchants selling the same goods in one city, I feel certain that Allah moves the heart of His servants, such that some would help here when others would help there.

So for you who felt moved by the plight of the victims of the Nargis Cyclone, do your bit. Remember, every little helps. One ringgit less, one million is no longer a seven digit figure.

Islam is mercy upon mankind… so let us care!

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam.com
56000 Kuala Lumpur

]]> http://abusaif.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/nargis-until-the-rice-bowl-gone-empty/feed/ abusaif http://abusaif.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/who-is-behind-the-quran/ http://abusaif.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/who-is-behind-the-quran/#comments Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:19:01 +0000 abusaif http://abusaif.wordpress.com/?p=9

This is a generous translation of my previous article “SIAPA DI SEBALIK AL-QURAN“, smartly done by a sister who is a family friend of us. Thank you Ummu Ridhwan for your kindness and superb Habit #1.

“Quran this, Quran that, Quran blah blah..” Things people say about the Quran - it would never end.

Recently, a right-winged politician in Holland, Geert Wilders also wished to talk about the Quran. It manifested as a fitnah to the world, with his aptly titled movie, Fitna.

Those who wish to criticize, bash, defend and safeguard al-Quran would usually miss one important process. The process is agreed upon by everyone who speaks rationally and thinks with a sound mind, regardless of religion. I’m referring to the process of analyzing the authenticity of al-Quran.

In the discipline of history as a branch of social science, the process of analyzing the authenticity of a material has to be carried out first before it could be used as a reference in a research. Is the coin found really genuine, or just a fake? Was the text really written by that scholar, and is it truly the original text?

On the same ground, the process of editing and examining manuscripts requires at least three different copies of the same manuscript, so that comparisons can be made to ascertain the validity of the material being studied.

The point is, before debating or criticizing the Quran, one has to check first whether the Quran is genuine, authentic, or a fake.

It’s a simple logic.

THE MAP BOOK

“Hmm, I have to buy the A-Z London map book – I don’t want to be lost,” Ahmad said at the Heathrow airport. It was his first time in London.

He went to a bookstore to look for a map to guide him in London.

“Hmm.. printed in Bangalore!” Ahmad was surprised.

The glossy, comprehensive and cheap map in his hand is printed in Bangalore. A London map, printed in Bangalore!

“Oh dear, printed in 1985!” Ahmad exclaimed, even more bewildered.

A London map, printed in Bangalore, India, in 1985!

Would Ahmad buy the map to guide him in London? Obviously not. Ahmad has doubts over the authencity of the map. He wouldn’t use it, even if it were given to him for free.

He’s right. We shouldn’t use something with questionable authencity as a guide.

AS FOR THE QURAN

Let’s have a look at the Quran.

It was revealed in the Saudi Arabia.

Masya Allah. Is the Quran relevant to the issues in the Europe or in Malaysia?

The Quran was revealed not in 1985, but more than 1430 years ago!

Allahu Akbar! What would the Quran know about our situation now in 2008 when it has come to existence more than a millennium ago?

How convinced are we on the authenticity of the Quran?

This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah; [Al-Baqarah 2: 1-2]

The Quran introduced itself as a guide, for people with taqwa. But the catch is, there can be no doubt. Therefore it is a test not only to those who has not or does not believe in the Quran, but also to Muslims who claim to follow the Quran – where does his conviction to the authenticity of the Quran truly lies?

If a Muslim believes that the Quran is the word of Allah, the One and Only God, where is the evidence?

If a non-Muslim wants to refute the Quran, or talk about the Quran, to believe in it or otherwise, what are the reasons? If you choose to believe in it, what are the grounds?

Therefore, we have to actively choose to believe in the Qur’an, and not take it for granted or blindly inherit it. The question is, how do we then determine the authenticity of the Quran?

LANGUAGE

There are numerous ways that we can use to examine the Quran. Is it really the word of Allah, or just written by a human, or what?

To begin with, we can look at the linguistic aspect.

To those who learnt the Arabic language, try to recall our essays during the SRP/PMR period years ago…

“Hadhizi madrasati. Madrasati kabiratun, waasi’atun, mulawwanatun, jamilatun, mahbubatun…!”, congratulations – you’re deserve an A for that level. It could be embarrassing to read our own essays. The fluency of our Arabic language is so low then, as compared the later years that followed. The same applies to other languages.

But look at the Quran. Can we, from the linguistic aspect, differentiate between the ayahs revealed in year 1, and those revealed in year 23? Can we discern any linguistic discrepancies between Iqra’, Bismi Rabbikalladhee khalaq with Idhaa jaa’a nasrullaahi wal fath?

The language of the Quran is highly consistent. No language went through a mature and premature period within the span of 23 years.

Clearly, the consistency of the linguistic aspect of the Quran is impossible to achieve by any human being. No one can use such a high standard of a language as consistently as the Quran. Therefore it doesn’t make sense to attribute the Quran to any man at all, not even the experts of experts in their languages, because the linguistic consistency is above any human being. Verily, it is the language of the Divine. The Quran is not the words of a human. Not that of Muhammad. Truly, it is the God who have spoken in the Quran.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala.

But of course, to verify the genuineness of the Quran from this angle requires a strong command of the Arabic language.

ASBAB NUZUL (MOTIVE OF REVELATION)

When Aishah radhiyallahu’anha was slandered by the Munafiqs with zina accusation (the story of al-Ifk), Nabi Muhammad S.A.W and the rest of the Muslims lived in anguish. The Munafiqs were quick to spread the false story to defame Ummu al-Mu’mineen, what with the absence of her defense from the Quran. Had the Quran been the work of Muhammad, he would have written something to defend his wife in this time of dire need. But that is not so. When his wife was slandered, he was further tested by the absence of the Quran revelation that could help vindicate her. To a point that Muhammad himself kept looking up to the sky in waiting.

Because the Quran is the word of Allah. His Words. When Aishah was slandered, Allah had tested Muhammad S.A.W, Aishah and the Muslim ummah by ‘withholding’ the wahyu. Until finally Allah absolved Aishah from the slander and she regained her honour when the ayahs of Surah al-Noor (24: 1-26) were revealed.

The event was written in history, how Muhammad had no ability to influence the Quran, even at the most critical moment. He was merely a recipient from the Quran’s true source, that is the God – Allah Subhanu wa Ta’aala.

However, this story would certainly be deemed irrelevant by those who rejects the Muslim literature, in specific the Hadiths of Nabi Muhammad S.A.W.

THE UNIVERSAL MATHEMATICS

In looking for the truth about the Quran, that it contains the absolute truth, we may need a universal approach. A common language that can be accepted by anyone at all, with the faculty of the mind that differentiates man from animals.

Use mathematics and the probability theory that we all know.

We are aware that one of the many miracles of the Quran, is the presence of amazing scientific facts. So many scientific discoveries that took place this era, are clearly mentioned in the Quran, a text that had existed more than 1000 years ago, at a time when such scientific analysis was beyond man’s capability.

Where does this accurate facts come from then?

“Well… it could just be a lucky guess!” said those who has not or does not believe in the Quran.

Okay, let’s say we accept that the scientific facts in the Quran are lucky guesses, by the so-called ‘author’ Muhammad.

By using the probability theory, is it possible for Muhammad to make all these ‘lucky guesses’ in the Quran?

With a dice, what is the probability for us to get the number “3” in one throw? The answer is one sixth (1/6). Now, what is the probability we would get both number “3” in two consecutive throws? The answer is one sixth multiplied by one sixth which is one over thirty six (1/6 X 1/6 = 1/36).

Use the same theory to analyse scientific facts in the Quran. For example, there is an explanation on the sun and the moon in the Quran. If Muhammad were to take a guess as to whether the moon emits its own light or merely reflect the light emanating from another source, what is the probability for him to make the right pick?

In this case, the probability is one half (1/2). Either the light is from the moon or other source.

This is one scientific fact.

What about the other facts presented in the Quran? The question of whether the earth orbits around the sun, or the other way round, for instance. Or facts about the components that make up a human body. If each of these scientific facts in the Quran were all ‘lucky guesses’ of a man named Muhammad, what is the probability for Muhammad to be right in all his guesses?

1/2 X 1/6 X 1/25 X 1/78…. There’s a thousand scientific facts in the Quran, therefore the probability is 0.00000000007686443547657… but that’s not it, there’s actually more. In other words, it’s IMPOSSIBLE!

Yet, ALL the scientific facts in the Quran are perfectly accurate.

This implied that the Quran comes from one who knows about man and this world VERY WELL. The one who spoke in the Quran, is none other than the Creator of the world and man… the One and Only God, Allah… Allahu Akbar!

The probability theory can definitely be used in search for the conviction of the Quran.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK00xTkMGO0]

SCIENCE AS A TOOL

I’m writing this article, not with the intention to prove that there is science in the Quran. That is a cliché.

We have to go back to the explanation in the Quran that its entire contents have been revealed as a guide (Huda). Therefore science in the Quran is meant to guide the mankind towards the truth. If science were claimed to be the indicator of truth, then use science to test the Quran.

Verily the biggest question to be answered by anyone who wishes to speak about the Quran is WHO IS IT BEHIND THE QURAN?

Is it really the word of God?

Is it conceivable to say that it is not?

If you found God in your quest for this answer, all your misunderstanding about the meanings of the Quran, is a proof of your own ignorance, rather than the imperfections of the Quran, because it is the word of Allah the Almighty.

Will ye not then understand? [Al-Anbiyaa’ 21 : 10]

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam.com
Generously translated by Sister Ummu Ridhwan

Assalamualaikum.

I recently received an email from my friend asking opinion about a comparative list between Jesus and Muhammad. The email concluded that there is no comparison between Jesus and Muhammad. Muhammad falls so far short, that he cannot be held on any level remotely close to Jesus. Muhammad is clearly inferior to Christ.

The whole thing could not be responded in a simple manner because the list can endlessly continue. But let the sender ask himself, what is the purpose of highlighting the list?

When we discuss about Jesus - peace be upon him - and Muhammad - peace be upon him -, the intention is the first and foremost.

Me myself, I learn about Muhammad and his religion for me to clarify my own purpose of life, why God created me, why I am here, where am I heading to after this worldly transit? I found my answer best through the teaching of Muhammad. I learn about religion to answer my own Questions, and not to question others!

As a historian, I believe that Muhammad was the only prophet that was born under the light of history. Every single thing about him, I can identify the source and even the source can be evaluated scientifically for the authentication. But the case was not with all other Prophets including Jesus Christ.

Can the existence of Jesus Christ be proven historically and scientifically? Maybe yes, but it would not be an easy task. As far as the history concern, this was the major issue why the scholars of the Enlightenment rejected Christianity because empirical studies could not find solution in proving the existence of Jesus himself. In 325CE the Bishops gathered in Constantinople to decide if Jesus was a son of God or a man. It was that crucial if history involves.

But as a Muslim, the Quran was the source for me to know and believe in Jesus. Al-Quran helped me to believe in him. It was even a part of my faith. I cannot be a Muslim without believing in Jesus Christ. Jesus was better explained in the Quran, at least for my own level of understanding.

So, if the sender believe that his idea about Christianity gave him satisfaction in finding the absolute truth, then let him be with his Christianity. Islam stands with its own strength and Christianity should be confident with what it has. There is no need to prove who is better than who, if the intention is to find what is good for us in this temporary life.

All the claims made by the list can be answered by reading more about Muhammad. Keep aside the pre-conceived idea he had about him, and be open to read properly. I would not suggesting him to read any book written by Muslims, but why not spend sometime reading books about Muhammad written by someone like Karen Armstrong in her book “Muhammad: A Biography of The Prophet“.

I found peace and had full of tranquility by believing and loving both Jesus and Muhammad and I cannot do anything to help someone who find peace in hating any of these great men.

God knows the best.

ABU SAIF

A good companion

It was quite a while since the last time I wrote about my readings. List of books in my faceook is also poorly updated.

LOST TRACK

This semester is killing me… I literally lost my momentum due to many incidents occured. The worst part was when I got infected with the conjunctivitis that later on transformed itself to keratitis which leaves scars on my cornea until today. I missed 3 lectures, didn’t go to work for about one month and now… I’m falling apart.

Another thing is about dealing with the nature of the subjects I’m taking this semester. Islam in Sub Saharan Africa is very interesting but until today at least 2 meetings had been canceled and before that, I missed 2 classes because of my trip to Ireland. While the Ancient Indian thing is scary. All the subjects I took before concentrated a lot on analyzing materials and events which fit the nature of postgraduate studies. But this time, this very one subject seems so narrative and we spent 3 hours only to discuss about pots, statues, and ornaments found during the excavation in Indus area. I’m hoping that the examiner will not ask me to list down all the materials found because I’m studying history and not archeology. Even an archaeologist would go more towards interpreting the stuffs rather than simply admiring them, one by one.

LITERATURE REVIEW

I am desperately need to finish my literature review to build a proper skeleton for my research proposal but moving around like a turtle with fever, does not help much. My master thesis will be something about THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMISM: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND TURKEY… !

What do you guys think about it?

My concentration will be on Turkish AKP and Malaysian PAS, hoping that the Muslim struggle to restore Islam will reveal some light somewhere because the conceptual framework of Islamist parties was unable to provide an effective blueprint for an Islamic state as quoted from Failure of Political Islam by Olivier Roy.

But let me share with you guys some of the books which are currently haunting me. I really mean that they are haunting me because the content is very refreshing and to certain extend, over my expectation, especially the first book below… written by Tun Mahathir.

Grap a copy and you won’t regret. I only recommend you the best… Insya Allah…

Dr. Mahathir’s Selected Letters to World Leaders ( London, Marshall Cavendish, 2008 )

Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah by Olivier Roy

Blind Spot - the Islamic State debate, NEP and other issues by Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad

The Politicization of Islam: Reconstructing Identity, State, Faith, and Community in the Late Ottoman State. Author : Karpat Kemal H

Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers (Paperback) by Philip Stokes

Inescapable Questions:Autobiographical Notes By A Izetbegovic

I will share with you my brief comments on all these books, Insya Allah. Please revisit the entry again soon.

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam.com
56000 Kuala Lumpur

You can also download the paperworks presented during the seminar by clicking the links below:

http://www.pmcisoc.org/pdf/ibadah_pesakit_dr_latiff.ppt
http://www.pmcisoc.org/pdf/panduan_ibadah_pesakit.pdf
http://www.pmcisoc.org/pdf/persediaan_menghadapi_orang_nazak.ppt

Farewell final exam… but no holiday for me.

Immediately after my final paper, I rushed to prepare materials for several programs. Wednesday was the day for my Maghrib Kulliyyah in Wangsa Maju. Thursday occupied me with a leadership camp for some teenagers in Cheras and I have only one day to concentrate on preparing materials for tomorrow seminar in Penang. That is today.

Tomorrow, Penang Medical College Islamic Society is organizing an event which is ‘Seminar Ibadah Pesakit’. This is basically a seminar to educate Muslim medical personnels (especially medical students) on how to perform obligatory prayers and ablution (wudhu’) in the situation when somebody is sick or in bedridden state.

Me and Prof. Dr Abd Latiff Mohamed (Dean, Postgraduate Study, Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences / the President of Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia) will present our paperwork on how to deal with patients in terms of helping them to perform the Ibadah while under treatment in the hospitals and also some guidelines on how to deal with dying patients.

Don’t ask me why I don’t prepare everything earlier. PMC ISOC contacted me months earlier which I highly appreciate, but this semester almost every single day was a die knot. I was fully occupied with exams and so many assignments which I think can be combined to a thesis-like compilation.

Why so difficult?

Wudhu’, Tayammum, Prayer standing or sitting… what so hard about that?

Well, my concern is not about the theoretical part. The practical side is the one that is problematic.

I have my own guideline which I use while helping my patients in the National Heart Institute (IJN), but when the subject is to be discussed in public… I will have to be smart in dealing between two extreme approaches. Some would be very open about mazhab, which in my opinion is good, but they forget about the level of patients’ understanding in this matter.

It is common to my own experience that when you guide them on how to perform the Salat, they will ask, is this Syafie? Well, mumbling about differences between mazhabs would be the last thing you want to do while patients are connected to all those wires and machines. With the intention to help them, you might be the most effective cause of death!

Another group would be so hard in defending Syafie’s view and simply forget about the practical side. Do you want to help the patients to perform the Salat, or you want to find as many excuses as possible so that the patients cannot pray while in the hospital.

I believe that, we should balance between the two. Theory is academic and practical is industry. Not all what you gain in the academic field would be useful in industry. Analogy I got from prismantiq.com.

“You cannot perform wudhu while having something covered around your arm unless you took wudhu’ before the bandage or the Plaster of Paris is placed on the injured part of your body”… this is a common theory suggested by many ustaz… but the reality is different. It is almost impossible for someone who is badly injured to ask the doctor to allow him to perform the wudhu before the plaster is placed. This is just a small example on how theory does not fit the reality.

So, the keyword is, while processing our theory into guideline, we should be patient-oriented and consciously embrace the concept of easiness (read as practicalness) of Islam.

Because of our inability to come into agreement in many cases, we fail to provide Fiqh into the form of a standard guideline. We prefer to indulge ourselves in differences of opinion, leaving Islam as something that is viewed by many as a religion that is not applicable to the contemporary challenges.

We disagree on deciding the 1st day of Shawwal (Muslims in the foreign lands) that we could never dream of being granted with public holiday even though the British government had the intention to do so. We let ourselves agree to disagree on so many things that Islam cannot be formularized into a standard guideline, even for patients in the hospital.

This is what bothers me and I am leaving my house to LCCT now…

See you guys on Sunday, Insya Allah…

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam.com
56000 Kuala Lumpur

Siti Salmah Jasni

I praise Allah for the success of both lung and heart transplant for our sister, Siti Salmah Jasni, 18.

I was quite upset for not being able to attend National Hearth Institute (IJN) when the procedure took place because of my final exams in IIUM. At this critical moment, the parents of Siti Salmah and her siblings were indeed in need of emotional and spiritual support, especially because Puan Sabariah Mustaffa herself suffers from pulmonary hypertension and has a hole in her heart.

Being one of the patient counselors in IJN, this is a huge responsibility for me, and throughout the weekend, I keep praying to Allah for her success and recovery while busy with my preparation for the final exam.

It was only today, I managed to be with Encik Jasni Zainal and his family. It was a very meaningful session, not just because of my chance to share my prayer and hope with Encik Jasni and the family for Siti Salmah, but me myself, it was the moment that I feel so close to God, in order to find the strength needed.

“A test like this, if it’s not referred to Him, will be almost impossible for us to find any justification on it. But the truth is, we were granted with health for Him to bless us with goodness because of us being thankful, and we were tested with illness for Him to bless us with goodness because of us being patient. Everything must be good”, I lent this advice to Encik Jasni and Puan Sabariah, but it was really for my own self reflection.

We can’t direct the wind but we can adjust our sail.

Truly, I was very inspired with the strong determination of Siti Salmah to cope with her condition. She was such a strong young girl, and I can see the strength from both of her parents and the siblings. Let us pray together, that she will remain strong and full of hope and optimistic with her new lung and heart. Let us also pray for the donor, a young and brave girl from Alor Star who died after being knocked down by a motorcycle on Tuesday morning. My sincere appreciation also goes to the family who made the donation success and last but not least for the family of the young donor from Ipoh and Johor Baharu for our beloved Tee Hui Yee.

Let the examples motivate us to take the same action and register as organ donors.

I start with myself… come and join me on board.

LIVE TO GIVE.. DONATE YOUR ORGAN

Alhamdulillah, as a continuation of last year success, I am invited again by PPIMI to present another module with a hope to enhance the character building among the participants of those Malaysian students in UK and Ireland.

Last year, I Islamized - so to speak - the famous book of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teen, as a personal message to the participants and the dhuat in general, that Islam is an accommodative system to all goodness which by its nature has no brand of nationality. Even though the book was written by a pure American author, the concept which derived from a careful study of human character, appeared to be universal and very much compatible with the principles of Islam. It is us, the dhuat, that need to cultivate our creativity to make the dakwah fresh, attractive and more friendly to the current generation of Muslim.

That was my agenda for last year, and praise be to Allah for everything. The same module was presented to Malaysian students in Perth, Western Australia last August.

This year, I am working from the other direction. Yes, ‘self help books can really be the good source of dakwah. But I also want the young generation to realize that our rich legacies from Islamic tradition are also there to be benefited.

The challenge is that, some of those who are very 2007 in taste and thought, might feel that all those books which were so popular among my generation in late 80’s and early 90’s, are no longer relevant. Hasan al-Banna wrote about his time, and our time is different. Maududi was excellent for his era, but this era is different.

Yes… there are differences, but similarities are there more than we thought. Covey wrote books on human behavior and he found some difficulties in relating the behavior with the concept of Guidance. So 7 Habits was lacked of sense of Divine guidance in determining what is good and what is bad in our life. But books from our tradition are rich with the Guidance but they need some extra sense of humanity.

The 7 Habits received some injection of Islamic values, and this year I am trying to give the book Maaza Ya’ni Intimaa’ie Lil Islaam by Fathi Yakan, some elements of humanity. We Islamized The 7 Habits, this year we want to modernize Maza Ya’ni.

Hopefully the combination of both PUISI 2006 and PUISI 2007, participants will embrace the idea of appreciating goodness and always trying to look into the positive side of everything they found, East and West, Ameen.

Visit my page dedicated for the development of PUISI 2007 module

Visit PUISI 2007 Promotion Page

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PUISI 2007
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]]> http://abusaif.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/puisi-2007-my-hope/feed/ abusaif puisi2006.jpg to-be-a-musalim.jpg http://abusaif.wordpress.com/2007/09/11/fasting-stronger-or-sleepier/ http://abusaif.wordpress.com/2007/09/11/fasting-stronger-or-sleepier/#comments Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:36:04 +0000 abusaif http://abusaif.wordpress.com/?p=15

“You neither eat nor drink the whole day?” Tan asked me.

“Yes. The whole day. But not at night. Only from dawn to sunset”, I replied.

“How can you survive? Can you survive?”, Tan asked again.

I smiled.

“Well, it’s not just you. Even Habib Bourguiba, the late President of Tunisia who was also a ‘Muslim’, convinced that fasting is against productivity. You know the history?”, I took my turn asking Tan my question.

Habib Bourguiba

“How should I know? Tell me!”, he said.

In 1961, Habib Bourguiba made a controversial statement claiming that fasting should not be observed for it reduces productivity. He then appeared on television with his cabinet, eating and drinking during Ramadhan.

“Why so harsh?”, Tan was shocked.

“I don’t know. Was it out of ignorance or arrogance? Perhaps a combination of both”, I replied.

Even though fasting is there in the name of Lent among Christians, it is always the Muslim’s version that cultivates questions and debates.

In order to understand about the real meaning of fasting, one should agree that it has something to do with our own paradigm and world view. The way we view things; like I always quote, “what you see is what you get”.

VIEWING FASTING IN MANY WAYS

If you see fasting as a way for better diet, you will benefit that from fasting. But fasting will only be a mechanism of improving your diet.

If you see fasting as a way to save your daily expense by breaking your fast daily in the mosque, then you will be able to achieve that. But that’s it. No more than that.

If you see fasting as a way for you to gain reward or ‘pahala’ from Him, then it is a good motive and sound intention. But reward and pahala is something that you can hardly measure in this physical and worldly life. You don’t see someone obese out of pahala. It is something else!

And strangely, the last 10 days of Ramadhan are the most rewarded and full of pahala, but then you’ll see the mosques are empty.

So, what Ramadhan and fasting are all about?

If you see fasting as abstaining one from eating, drinking, having sexual intercourse during the daytime, and reducing the wrongdoings of backbiting what so ever… that is the definition of fasting. But it only explains the mechanism of fasting as ritual.

Let us take a look at the origin of Muslims’s version of fasting. Al-Quran says:

“O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become the people with the quality of Taqwa” (Al-Baqarah 2: 183)

Fasting is a mechanism to achieve Taqwa. You abstain yourself from eating and drinking, in order to achieve Taqwa. How is that?

TAQWA

Taqwa can be defined in many ways. But the conversation between Ubay bin Kaab and Umar al-Khattab was a good summary about the essence of Taqwa. Once, Umar asked Ubay what he knows about Taqwa. Ubay replied by asking him, “Have you walked through thorny path?”

Umar answered, “Yes, indeed”

Ubay then asked him, “What did you do?”

Umar replied, “I tucked up (my garment) and did my best (to avoid thorns)”

Thereupon Ubay said, “That is Taqwa!”

Our life is a journey. Like someone who is driving from a place to another. Throughout the journey, he will meet many road signs that might instruct him to do against his will. He wants to drive at full speed, but a sign says, “No, the limit is only 80km/h”.

He wants to arrive as early as possible but suddenly a red light instructs him to stop and let others move first.

Someone who is wise and on top of his rational thinking, would never ever see all the road signs as challenge to his right exercising his freedom. The truth is, the road signs are there to help him achieve safety throughout the journey until he reaches the destination.

The same thing applied to our big picture of this life. Do’s and don’ts of Islam are not the obstruction and challenge to the access of his freedom of choice. They come from the Creator who knows better what is good and what is bad in this life. They are there for our safety, peace and harmony.

Someone who has the quality of Taqwa will take his journey like someone who walks through thorny path. He is a person with a full of consciousness about what is good and what is bad around him. He must also have a good self control, like a person who is good in controlling his car steering.

This is the essence of fasting. You learn to exercise your self control.

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SELF CONTROL

If someone does not take his lunch because there is nothing to eat, then it causes him tiredness and anger.

But a believer who chooses not to eat while he has everything to do so, for the sake of obeying his Lord, then he is exercising his ability to control himself against some of his desire.

You can eat, but you don’t eat. You can drink, but you learn not to drink, so that you can tell yourself that you are a proactive person. Not a reactive one.

A reactive person will get mad when something stimulates him to anger. He will be sad and out of control when something causes him sadness.

He has no ‘pause’ button. He has no ability to control himself to choose a better reaction. His actions are determined by things around him. He is not the one who controls himself. He is occupied by others. He is under the real occupation of others.

A Muslim is not an effective Muslim if he does not have a control over his own actions. He must be a proactive Muslim.

Return back you self control… you are the strongest!

Fasting makes us stronger, if we correct the way we view it.

Fasting is 30 days intensive training course for the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Muslim.

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam.com
56000 Kuala Lumpur

“Quite against my will, my lecturer has managed to convince me that the Theory of Evolution is actually true. I felt very uncomfortable in class”, said Nazri, one of my fellow coursemates.

“The point now is to figure out whether or not the Theory of Evolution is really against the teachings of Islam. Exactly what is Islam’s stand on Darwin’s Theory? Is it 100% against it?”, I asked him.

“Well, it’s difficult to say”, said he.

“In my opinion, the challenge is for us to not making any kind of blanket statements. We should differentiate between Charles Darwin, Darwinism, Neo-Darwinism, Social-Darwinism, and the Theory of Evolution itself”, I suggested.

Nazri nodded.

“There are indeed many differences between them. However, when translated to Bahasa Melayu and our mindset, it is collectively termed as ‘Darwin’s Theory’. That’s all”, he continued.

“Therein lies the problem. In my opinion, the behaviour of many Moslem lecturers who pronounce blanket condemnations of Darwin’s Theory will lead to problems later, especially for those like you, who are studying for the Biology A-Level. There are many who think that Darwin’s theory and its evolution…. Is 100% against the teachings of Islam”, I expanded upon my thoughts.

“Their arguments are very simplistic. If one believes in Darwin’s Theory, it means one believes that our ancestors are apes! It starts and ends that way”, supported Nazri.

We paused to ponder. The issue is not one that is particularly easy.

The Breadth of the Theory of Evolution

Our attempt to try and understand the Theory of Evolution is based not solely on the need to answer the question of who or what our forefathers were. It is also not for the purpose of condemning the imperialism of the West, imperialism that was based on the Social Darwinist theory of survival of the fittest.

Coincidentally, in my Muslim Historiography class with Assoc Prof Dr Ahmed Elyas Hussein, we had discussed a question more basic than the need to correctly assess the truth of the Theory of Evolution, namely the question of the “Beginning of History”.

This involves testing the Theory of Evolutionary Biology against questions related to the creation of Adam and life on earth before Adam.

Without this understanding, we will always be troubled by discoveries arising from advances in DNA profiling techniques. These techniques enable scientists to calculate the mutation rates of living structures, which solidifies the evidence obtained from fossil dating and challenges our simplistic understanding of the “Beginning of History” question posed earlier.

Up till now, scientists have been able to distinguish roughly 15 species of early man. However, it is not trivial to categorize these various species, how they inter-relate, and how each species ends. The early Australopithecine species, estimated to be 5 to 2 million years old, leads to the Neanderthal species, estimated to be 200,000 to 24,000 years old. All this brings up questions related to the creation of Adam and Islam’s stand on evolution itself. Did Adam live as early as the Australopithecine era?

I am not an expert in the field, especially in Biology. However, I would like to share some thoughts with you, with the intention of helping you make some early assessments regarding this issue.

Islam’s Stand on the Creation of Man

Below are some verses that touch on the origin of man:

Allah SWT says in the Quran:

[Surah ar-Rahman, 55: 14] He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery

Similar messages are presented in 22:5, 23:12, 30:20, 32:7, and 37:11.

Allah SWT also says:

[Surah at-Tin, 95: 5] We have indeed created man in the best of moulds

In translating these verses, Mohammad Asad says: Allah SWT has created man in the best of forms, with positive qualities both physical and mental, sufficient for him to complete the task(s) for which he was created.

Consider too verses 8:2 and 7:8.

Allah SWT also states in the Quran that all of mankind descends from Adam. He says:

[Surah an-Nisa, 4: 1] O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.

And man was created by Allah as a khalifah (vicegerent) on this earth:

[Surah al-Baqarah, 2:30] Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: “I will create a vicegerent on earth.” They said: “Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?” He said: “I know what ye know not.”

Opinions from Islam’s Early Scholars

When studying Islamic history, we usually look at how well the ummah carries out Allah’s commands, and how this relates to the rise and fall of civilizations. This viewpoint sometimes causes us to overlook the opinions of the ‘ulama on matters related to pre-history.

In the same way that the Theory of Evolution has philosophical roots that extend to the eras of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, as well as to religion, so too do the ‘ulama look to these sources in order to help seek answers to questions related to pre-history. However, the thrust of the understanding always comes from Quranic verses, which carry their own principles. Even though the ‘ulama make use of various other sources, Quranic principles remain the main source for them.

Just look at al-Mas’oudi’s book, Akhbar al-Zaman. Before talking about Adam and the generations after him, Al-Mas’oudi included the chapters, “On the Age of the World”, “On the Peoples before Adam”, “On the Earth and What Is In It”, “On the Sea that Covers (Al-Bahr al-Huhi?) and the Amazing Things Contained Within It”, etc.

Al-Mas’oudi explains that there were 28 groups of peoples created on this earth before Adam. These consisted of flora and fauna as well as a mankind that resembles the people of Adam. These groups mixed and interacted, leading to the expansion of the peoples to 120 groups.

Al-Thabari also says in his tafsir that all of creation was created before Adam.

Al-Maqdisi explains that there were three main groups in this world before Adam, two of which were groups of Jinn, whereas the third is slightly different in that they were made of flesh and blood. This third group consists of those referred to as “man yufsidu feehaa wa yasfiku al-dimaa”, i.e “one who will make mischief therein and shed blood”, as this group was called by the angels in the Quranic verses of 2:30.

These explanations by al-Mas’oudi demonstrates how previous ‘ulama have been debating matters regarding pre-history well before these discussions appeared in Europe during relatively current times.

These matters are important for Islamic knowledge in order to build and structure a World History based on an Islamic perspective. Muslims see the question of God, mankind, and the world, as subjects that cannot be separated. Based on this principle, the historical context cannot simply start with the creation of Adam, but pre-Adamic eras should also be considered.

This really amazes me. All this while, the fact that ‘ulama as early as the 10th century have been paying attention to this issue, had escaped my attention. Their efforts and interest show the importance of paying some attention to this subject.

‘Adams’ before ADAM

Regarding the creation of Adam, the majority of ‘ulama believe that Adam and Eve were created in their complete form in Heaven. They were then sent to earth after partaking from the forbidden fruit. Their progeny populated the earth and thenceforth started the history of mankind.

What is not explained explicitly by Allah SWT in the Quran is how Adam is created. Was he created in stages or in just one process? A fraction of tafsir scholars are of the opinion that when Allah SWT created Adam, it was not until 40 years later that his ruh (spirit) was blown into him. In this is clear the influence of Ancient Persian tradition towards this tafsir.

Another fraction of ‘ulama are of the opinion that Adam was not the first man created to be on earth. In their opinion, hundreds and thousands of previous ‘Adam’s have existed before Adam our father. Each previous ‘Adam’ had their own progeny and life, were destroyed completely, and replaced by the following ‘Adam’, until the time came to Adam, our father. Adam our father is seen as being the last of the ‘Adam’s on this earth.

Then there are also ‘ulama who are of the opinion that Adam and Eve were not created in Heaven, but on earth, and from the earth.

(Refer al-Maqdisi: Al-Bad’ wa al-Tarikh and Ibn al-‘Arabi: al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah)

Ikhwan al-Safa too explained a bit more on this aspect. They state that all creatures were created from dry clay and inhabited the Equatorial regions, unaffected by weather extremes. This created a good environment for procreation. It is in this environment that Adam was created (takawwana). Ikhwan al-Safa are also of the opinion that Adam and Eve spent the first half of their life on earth (Rasaa’il Ikhwan al-Safa, chapter 181, pg 229. There is a possibility that this concept was taken from come Biblical concepts, where Heaven is termed the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve lived in purity).

Trivial Issues?

Some of us might see the above-mentioned issues as trivial and unimportant. It could easily be labeled khurafat, victims of Israiliyyat, made-up imaginings, etc. What should not slip from our minds is that it is not the factual details that are important. I say this because, whether seen from the aspect of religious textual interpretations, or from the aspect of scientific achievement itself, this field is still inundated with hypotheses. In fact, it should never be forgotten that Allah said “I KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW NOT”.

Our knowledge is not limitless.

What we should hold as important is the questioning of ideas related to evolutionary biology, the existence of ideas related to the possibility of previous ‘Adam’s before Adam, and the opportunity for these questions to be researched by Muslims. This will prevent Science students from feeling guilty merely because they think that evolution is completely against Islam.

As was demonstrated previously, the principles of evolution have already been in the minds of Muslim historians as early as the 10th century. If it was accepted as a subject worthy of study by Muslims then, why is it that in this day and age, we feel that there is no more room for discussion regarding this matter? Evolution is against Islam, 100% we say!

What worries me is that the behaviour of religious people towards these issues will create problems for Muslims in the same way that the arrogant attitude of Christian religious leaders led to the distancing of the scientific community from religion. Their simplistic and narrow-minded pronouncements resulted in religion being discarded as the source of truth, without even discussing the question of the truth of their religion itself.

People turned to science due to their disgust with religious zealots whose ideas were static and unappealing.

The Divine Evolution

Even in the West, some researchers try to harmonize between evolution and religious doctrine. Even though theologians and the Church are adamant in rejecting evolution, there are some who accept the rules and laws of the natural world without denying God’s process of creation. They believe that the Hand of God is behind the evolutionary processes of this world, and that man is at the end of this evolutionary process.

This explanation is called ‘The Divine Evolution’.

There also exist church leaders who accept that the texts of the Holy Book are imperfect and who see the Theory of Evolution as being in tune with Christian belief (see Maurice Bucaille, What is the Origin of Man? The Answers of Science and the Holy Scripture).

Regular checks and updates should also be carried out by us, the Muslims.

Muhammad Iqbal and other learned men accepted the idea of evolutionary biology. However, Iqbal explains that evolution only affects man’s physical development. It has nothing to do with the non-physical or spiritual dimensions of man (see Muhammad Iqbal, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam).

This issue involves Islam’s stand on fossil finds, matters related to the truth of a primitive man as the start of life, issues related to the great flood, as well as Gog and Magog, among others.

In America, genetic science and paleontologists at the end of the 20th century unanimously supported the theory of mtEve after researching ancient fossil remains. This theory suggests that current mankind descended from one man and one woman. This acceptance opened up a path to the religious establishment who then went on to forward hypotheses related to the ship of Noah and the Garden of Eden.

If Muslims take the easy way out and call all this nonsense, then it will become much easier for Islam itself to be seen as being nonsensical. This will happen if we fail to interact with the scientific achievements and genetic technology of today.

I worry about a fraction of our community who extricate themselves from others due to ideas presented in the mainstream media, ideas that are comfortable with the thought that science and religion are at loggerheads.

It is my hope that sharing this information with you will prove how ‘ulama, scientists, and historians, are in need of each other in order to better understand religion, Allah SWT, mankind and the rest of creation.

Let us not be the cause of the destruction of Islam and Muslims by succumbing to simplistic musings.

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This article was written for those who are familiar with the subjects discussed: perspectives related to the history of Darwinism, biological science, genetic engineering, and a little exposure to early Islamic scholars. If some terms are confusing, please utilize Wikipedia. Thank you.
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I was facilitating Group 4, discussing about conflict solutions. A kind of training on embracing the very first step to become the effective agents of change… be Proactive and focus on solution. Enlightening!!!

Alhamdulillah, we had just finished the first workshop. Surprisingly, all, and I do mean ALL the participants were so responsive and knew what they actually believe.

You feel secured with your faith, and you are not afraid to discuss it in the open air. This is what I found from the majority of the participants. They are so keen to share what they understand about the role of religion in public life and amazingly open to understand others.

INTERFAITH?

Some people might have the wrong idea about having an interfaith dialogue. Some of the participants did come to me and ask about this.

“Are we saying that all religions are just the same? Be good, then you are okay!”, one of the participants expressed his concern.

I had the same idea about interfaith-dialogue when I was appointed as the Minister of Religion in Belfast Islamic Centre. At that time, I disagreed with the idea of interfaith, because I believed that interfaith was responsible for the lack of interest among the people to challenge their faith and to learn more about Islam.

The issue here is, how you define the so-called interfaith dialogue?

ROLE OF RELIGION

Religion has two functions that need to be understood.

The first one is on helping you to define yourself and God, and how you connect yourself to Him. The second part of the religion is to help you in defining your connection with other people, in order to promote cooperation. We say them as hablun minaLlah and hablun minannaas.

As a student of History, I always believe that religions was and always there to promote cooperation among the society members. When people cooperate, the civilization will be in the state of Rise. When the civilization is in that condition, we always find that religion has a huge impact in that particular stage of civilization. But when people started to divert themselves from God, they will be worshiping each other in many different forms and lost the equality and justice. Definitely, when equality and justice are not served, people can never work and live together. Cooperation is impossible.

The first part of religion is your definition of Aqidah. At this stage, you might need to examine the authenticity of what you believe and to whom you submit yourselves. Is He the true God? That is something that you need to achieve at your very personal level.

Being a Muslim, it is simply because you believe that the absolute truth about God and you before Him, are authentically defined by this faith. I am happy with it.

The Firefighters!

But to achieve the second part of religion’s role in enhancing cooperation, people need to focus on something that they can share together, namely the ethics, appreciating justice and all these universal values. This is what interfaith dialogue is all about.

This is where I sincerely appreciate the effort of Karen Armstrong in teaching us how to think and discuss about religion on this basis, free from prejudice and insecurity of one faith.

I managed to get her autograph and had a brief chat with her regarding my study in History. I don’t take personal photo with her because I want to continuously connected to her through her writing and passion in educating the world to feel good and positive about religion.

More to come. And sorry for the short and brief entry. Talk to you guys later. It’s almost 2am!

Salam.